Your Child's Journey
A balance of academic, artistic, and practical activities which engages the heads,
hearts and hands of all our pupils throughout their education.
Our curriculum supports their intellectual, social, emotional and spiritual development.
Curriculum Overview
Curriculum Overview
We believe each child is unique and deserves a unique educational experience. By offering a balance of academic, artistic, and practical activities which engages the heads, hearts and hands of all our pupils throughout their education, our curriculum supports their intellectual, social, emotional and spiritual development, and encourages their innate curiosity and love of learning. Our curriculum addresses all the multiple intelligences, develops analytical, logical and reasoning skills as education has always done, but also focuses on the development of imagination, creativity, memory and flexible thinking – ‘soft’ skills highly prized in today’s society.
Your Child's Journey Begins Here
Parent & Child Groups & Kindergarten
In Early Years the focus is on play and activity embedded in the cycle of seasons and festivals. The rhythm of daily life in the Kindergarten is simple and unhurried without the notions of ‘achievement’,’ success’, or ‘failure’.
From the age of six
In Lower School learning is structured in a way that enables the pupils to develop emotionally and physically, while laying down the foundations for the development of intellectual and abstract thought during the Upper School years.
From the age of 15
The curriculum evolves to accommodate each pupil’s emerging capacity for analytical thought, and they are actively encouraged to exercise independent judgement, be it aesthetic, moral or intellectual.
Overseas Students
Visiting pupils enjoy a minimum of four English as an Additional Language lessons per week and can – if they meet the required standard – go on to sit the internationally recognised Cambridge Certificate.
Baby Group
Baby Group
From bumps to walking
We welcome expectant mothers, carers/parents and their babies, offering a relaxing, nurturing and creative environment, where we craft, share experiences and food, and sing together.
In a quiet and homely environment we follow a gentle rhythm, where we start with a simple craft or other seasonal activity, share a wholesome home-made snack, and finish with time singing together or saying nursery rhymes. These activities, which involve both adults and babies, help to promote the bond between them.
Many babies move on to our Toddler Groups once they have reached walking age. These sessions run in the same venue to the Baby Group, so parents/carers and child can continue their journey and develop further in familiar surroundings.
The group meets during term time on:
Fridays
at 9.30am – 11.30pm and noon – 2pm BOOK
Cost: £10.00 per session. A complimentary taster session is available to new families.
Kindergartens One (2-year-olds): Acorn & Appleseed
Kindergartens Two (3 – 4.5 Year Olds): Balckbird & Greenfinch
Toddlers Group
Toddlers Group
Monday Morning
9.30am - 11.30am (Outside)
Tuesday Morning
9.30am - 11.30am (Inside)
Tuesday Afternoon
12.30pm - 2.30pm (Inside)
Wednesday Morning
9.30am - 11.30am (Indoors)
Thursday Morning
10am - noon (Outdoors)
Toddler Hut – part of school grounds
Tuesday and Wednesday Groups are in our traditional Toddler Hut on campus, which incorporates an enclosed small garden. Monday and Thursday Groups move inside in the second half of the term.
Activities such as baking organic bread and biscuits, arts and crafts or preparing for a seasonal festival are as much for the adults as they are for the children. There is a dedicated garden and sandpit for outdoor play as well as the carefully maintained grounds of the wider Edinburgh Steiner School for longer walks and exploration. A healthy, organic snack is provided.
Colinton Dell
In the warmer months, this location gives us the chance to enjoy the wonder and awe of our natural surroundings at Colinton Dell, with a woodland walk and time spent on the riverbank. (View Colinton Dell Toddler Group). The name of Colinton comes from the Gaelic Baile Cholgain, meaning ‘village in the woods’.
Bookings are made termly. Families who would like to start on a date after the Group begins are welcome to join if there is availability to do so. This can be done from the drop down menu on the online School Shop.
We will provide freshly baked bread, sliced apples and craft materials. (Each family will need to bring their own blanket/mat to sit on, mug, bowl and tea). Each session costs £8.00 per family, payable in half-termly blocks. All the sessions will comprise a walk, seasonal craft, snack and circle time (seasonal songs, verses and story).
Early Years Journey
Many of the children who enjoy Toddler Group move on to the School’s Seedlings Playgroup (age 2+) or Kindergarten (3.5 – 6 years old).
All parents of children aged 3 and 4 (as well as eligible 2 year olds) living in Scotland can meet the costs of up to 30 hours a week in either of these unhurried yet busy Steiner Waldorf settings through their 1,140 Hours Early Years and Childcare (ELC) funding.
Early Years
Early Years
A relationship with the Edinburgh Steiner School can begin as early as pregnancy, as our range of groups encourage bumps, babies and young children to come together to enjoy group and individual play, crafts, baking and songs.
In our Early Years provision the focus is on play and activities embedded in the cycle of seasons and festivals.
Seedlings
2 years
Attended without parents/carers, Seedlings welcomes a group of up to ten toddlers and enables them to develop independence, meet new friends, learn social skills and have fun.
This group can provide a stepping stone before children make the progression into Kindergarten from the age of 2.5 years old.
Kindergarten
From the age of 2.5 - 5.5 years old
The rhythm of daily life in the Kindergarten is simple and unhurried without the notions of ‘achievement’,’ success’, or ‘failure’.
Treetops
Up to 6 Years Old
Treetops brings the oldest children in Appleseed, Acorn, Greenfinch and Blackbird together in a Kindergarten environment, to create the next year’s Class 1 cohort. There are limited spaces. Prospective children can apply to join here: Treetops Kindergarten Application Form
Lower School
Lower School
In most instances the same teacher will remain with their pupils from the start of formal education in Class 1 to the age of 15 years (Class 8). In our rapidly changing world, this provides a haven for continuity and stability and allows the teacher to develop a thorough understanding of the needs of each child.
It is the Class Teacher’s responsibility to bring each Main Lesson to the pupils in a vivid, pictorial way so that their imaginations are touched and their enthusiasm is fired. School trips expand and reinforce themes taught in Main Lessons. Each class also enjoys the experience of a wide range of specialist subject teachers on a daily basis.
The Lower School curriculum is carefully planned to meet the developmental needs of the pupils. During this period, learning is structured in a way that enables the pupils to develop emotionally and physically, while laying down the foundations for the development of intellectual and abstract thought during the Upper School years.
Making the Transition to Upper School
Class 8 acts as a year of transition. Throughout this defining year, our pupils work on a major project of their own choosing. Examples have ranged from a full scale handcrafted harp and a beautifully stitched replica dress from 1900, to a refitted camper van and an animated cartoon.
Throughout Lower School, Modern Languages form a key part of the curriculum. This culminates in the Class 8 Exchange when up to six weeks are spent visiting a Steiner school in a German or French speaking country. They adopt the timetable of their host class and enjoy many subject lessons in the foreign language.
Learning Support
The school offers a small team of qualified and experienced teachers who provide both individual and group support. Children with a wide range of abilities may need extra help during their school career. Support is carefully devised to suit the needs of each individual and is agreed with the Class Teacher, Guardian and parents. On occassion, the advice of the school doctor may be sought. Where appropriate, support may include therapeutic movement exercise or artistic work as well as subject coaching.
Find out more about:
Curriculum for Lower School-revised (2025)
"The more time it has been since we left Steiners, the more grateful we are for that grounding. The Steiner way is absolute gold. It breeds individuals.
A campaign to row an ocean [the Atlantic in 2020, and Pacific in 2025] generally takes between one and three years. We all agree, though, that our preparations started in the classroom between 15 and 21 years ago.
Having good relationships with our teachers from a young age instilled belief within us, which gave us the confidence to believe we could do something extraordinary."
Lachlan, Ewan, & Jamie Maclean
Upper School
Upper School
One of the unique aspects of the Steiner curriculum is its breadth. Nowhere is this more evident than in the four years of the Upper School. At a time where most young people become specialised as a result of their exam choices, pupils at Edinburgh Steiner School continue to study a broad spectrum of arts, sciences, crafts and humanities in addition to their national exam subjects.
They are able to do so because of the Main Lesson programme which includes the study of Ancient, Medieval and Modern History; Philosophy; Organic Chemistry; History of Art; Economic Geography; Surveying; Physics; History of Architecture; and Geology. Artistic and practical subjects also continue to be timetabled for all pupils.
As a result, irrespective of whether pupils veer towards the arts or the sciences in their exam choices, they continue to receive a valuable grounding across all subjects.
Examinations
National exams are taken in Classes 10, 11 and 12. A mixture of National 5s, Highers, Advanced Highers. Innovative Integrative Education Certificate is also offered. The particular mix arises from the teachers’ study of which exam will best fit into the Steiner curriculum and allow the most latitude for study. For more information regarding exams, subjects and qualifications please see the Qualifications, Exams and Careers handbook found here.
"The increasingly complicated world around us calls for clear-headed and self-reliant people, who do not feel they need to adopt every aspect of the modern chaotic world around them in order to be valued and contributing human beings. The Steiner School provides pupils with this independent view."
- Renske Brune,Upper School Subject Teacher
To enable the broad curriculum of Main Lesson content to continue, exams are taken a year later than in mainstream.
Exam results are well above the Scottish average and compare favourably with other independent schools in Scotland.
Careers
Throughout their final four years, pupils are helped to choose their path beyond school. Each pupil receives targeted, individual support from the Careers teacher to help them prepare their UCAS and college applications and for any university interviews. They also have interviews with the ISCO (Independent Schools Careers Organisation). If a pupil decides to leave before his or her final year, the school arranges interviews with Skills Development Scotland.
Many pupils choose to go on a gap year after they leave school to experience and contribute to another culture. Countries visited recently by graduating pupils include Gambia, South Africa and Brazil.
The career paths followed are as individual as our curriculum. Ninety per cent of our pupils continue on to further education. Our former pupils have gone on to excel in a wide range of careers from doctors, lawyers and business professionals to artists, academics and entrepreneurs.
Learning Support
The school offers a small team of qualified and experienced teachers who provide both individual and group support. Children with a wide range of abilities may need extra help during their school career. Support is carefully devised to suit the needs of each individual and is agreed with the Class Teacher, Guardian and parents. On occasion, the advice of the school doctor may be sought. Where appropriate, support may include therapeutic movement exercise or artistic work as well as subject coaching. View Pupil Wellbeing
Find out more by viewing the the Qualifications, Exams and Careers Handbook at Publications & Policies.
Find out more about:
Integrative Education Certificate
Why Choose Us?
Exam Diet
Nat 5s to Advanced Highers, with 98% Highers pass rate (with 2-in-3 at A grade). Exam class size typically 5-8 pupils.
Portfolio-based qualifications
Portfolio-based qualification, honing eleven creative thinking skills, equivalent to 3 GCSEs.
Broad Education
Main Lesson Programme, unique to Waldorf education, provides senior pupils with an invaluable broad education, irrespective of exam choices.
Holistic
The school day is holistic, with an emphasis on seasons, festivals, and human connection throughout the academic year.
Cohesive Classmates
One age cohort of up to 25 pupils provides a nourishing environment to build relationships with peers and teachers that span the four years of Upper School (and beyond).
Whole Child
Artistic and practical intelligences are harmonised with the intellect; developing imagination, entrepreneurship and freedom of thinking.
Overseas Students
Overseas Students
We welcome pupils from all over the world, who attend our Upper School for one term, two terms or a year's sponsorship. They are placed with approved families who are connected with the school, and they quickly become valued members of the school community.
EAL Excellence – A Globally Leading Centre for English As An Additional Language (EAL) - Year after year, visiting students who formally validate their English language skills through the internationally recognised Cambridge English exam suite continue to excel at our School. Edinburgh Steiner School candidates have a 100% pass rate in 2024 - far above the UK average of 68% and the worldwide average of 70%. The outstanding achievement highlights the dedication of ur students and teacher - with six EAL lessons a week, placing our Centre as a leader on both a national and global scale.
Overseas students can study for and take the Cambridge English Examinations, provided they reach the required standard. Students wishing to sit the examination should attend our school for the Spring and Summer terms. For more proficient students, we also offer the Cambridge Advanced Certificate course.
Edinburgh
Edinburgh has the special designation of being a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Find out more at Visiting Scotland.
